No reply from Greens

On 9th February the Australian Green Party wrote to the Scottish Green Party asking for its position on the proposed Viking Energy windfarm. A month later there has been no proper reply, apart from an email stating that the party had not been asked about the project before so would need to get back on what their policy was concerning the development.

When I lived and worked back in my hameland from 2002 to 2006 I attended, with my family, the Scottish Greens national conference at Dundee University (at our own cost ) to tell of the environmental disaster a “super quarry” would inflict on the folk at Sullom and the Shetland community. The conference gave unanimous support to our campaign against the quarry. We defeated that destructive development which was backed by local councillors.

I had previously been active in environmental activism since 1971 in New South Wales where our action in the NSW branch of the Builders Labourer’s Federation in creating the world’s first Green ban – “Kelly’s Bush” was the forerunner to the world Green movement.

The late Petra Kelly, one of the co-founders of the German Greens, is quoted as saying, and told me personally, that we were the reason she saw the great potential in a green movement. Fighting for the natural and built environment has been part of my life as an activist, trade unionist and as part of the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders’ ongoing struggle to protect their land, sea, culture and spirituality.

I ask the Scottish Greens: Why don’t they support a grassroots movement like Sustainable Shetland of nearly 800 members, the John Muir Trust, Shetland Islands Council’s own planning department and numerous other organisations in opposition to a development that is obviously environmentally destructive to the Shetland Islands; and if the Greens believe in local democracy why don’t they call for a public inquiry?

Imposing decisions from a government in Edinburgh is a contradiction to what Scottish independence means. It’s more of the “big bully syndrome” from down south in Westminster, which Scotland has had to put up with since the 1707 “act of union”.

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4 comments

Geordie Hunter

March 8th, 2011 1:14

My question to Davie is why is the Australian Green party getting involved in Shetland politics? Should they not be concerned with their own country? Neither I nor Davie live in Shetland and should in my opinion not be commenting on what is a Shetland residents issue. As to the rest of the letter of his ‘green/red’ credentials, so what?

Indeed it is. I am an interested observer from outside Shetland. I have no opinion on whether the wind farm is a good idea or not, I don’t know all the facts and I don’t have all the emotion that people there have. I have family and friends on both sides of the argument – this is what you are alluding to I am sure? To be honest I no longer read any letters that have anything to do with the windmills in the Shetland News as I have no stake in the argument. I am interested in the Shetland economy and the future of Shetland, things that can make a differnece to the place interest me. The substance of my letter in the Shetland News was what is the alternative project(s) to create jobs in Shetland? I don’t know the answer, it might be windpower or it might not? The proposed wind farm maight be an financial disater or it might not? what I do know is that some of my very good friends in Shetland feel they will be affected and I respect their views. The point of my comment in this case was why is the Australian Green party feeling the need to write on this matter? It is an issue for Shetland, not Australian Greens, Davie Thomason or myself.

I am quite happy for Geordie Hunter to have an opinion on the Viking Energy wind farm, we are all global citizens these days and should take an interest in the world around us. Indeed without global concerns and actions there would be a great many injustices which would never be addressed were it not for international pressure.

Geordie most definitely does have a view on the wind farm however, I just find it laughable when he takes such exception to someone holding a differing view.

The Scottish Greens have responded, stating that renewables have a future in Shetland but the Viking Energy wind farm looks to be the wrong project in the wrong place. To their credit they do not take exception to concerns being expressed from the southern hemisphere.

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